Sacral Chakra

Photo from: Purengery Vibrational Healing

The second chakra, called Svadisthana or Swadhisthana in Sanskrit, is also known as the "sacral chakra" because of it's location in the sacrum, the large triangle-shaped bone at the base of the spine and upper back part of the pelvis. It is symbolized by an orange lotus with six petals and governs the sexual organs, the kidneys, the liver, and adrenal glands. It helps inspire our creativity and gives us the strength to see our relationships clearly.

When the sacral chakra is balanced and open, we feel creative and mentally "awake." It gives us a drive to achieve what we want in live and helps us let go of objects, ideas, and relationships that are detrimental to our well-being. In those relationships we do keep, the sacral chakra helps us keep them balanced and equal. Given it's dominance over the reproductive organs, a balanced sacral chakra can also lead to more fulfilling sex. When the sacral chakra is blocked, however, we can suffer physically from stomach pains and sexual diseases. Emotionally, a blocked sacral chakra can lead to either breakdowns and frequent, overly dramatic outbursts or a sense of listlessness and apathy.

If you want to work to balance your sacral chakra,  try wearing orange or lighting candles that have lavender and sage scents. If you think your chakra needs to be opened further, try bolder scents like ylang-ylang, grapefruit, or patchouli (one of my favorites). Use carnelian gems to garner emotional health and balance. With this chakra, the key is to learn to love yourself in order to build your relationships with others and gain a sense of confidence that is neither inflated or malnourished. 


Some key mantras to repeat are: 

• "I am creative and bold."
• "I love and approve of myself and my actions."
• "I only need what is inside of me."
• "I trust that life will work out."

 

Chakras

Since Wednesdays are supposed to be my New Age posting days, I've decided I'm going to start a Wednesday chakra series. I'll introduce you to chakras and, over the next few weeks, give you a little bit of information about each one. I know a lot of readers are probably going to be skeptical about chakras, but give these posts a chance anyway and, even if you don't believe in them, hopefully you can at least learn something about them. 

Photo from: http://www.seeingthelight.org/?tag=chakras

The word "chakra" comes from the Sanskrit word for "wheel" or "disk," representing the supposed shape of the six energy centers of the body, located in the spinal column and branching out from there. Each chakra, represented by a different color, manages a different type of energy - physical, emotional, mental. New Age practitioners believe that the chakras can be "balanced" so that they are all spinning in the same direction at the same time. When a chakra becomes imbalanced, physical symptoms begin to manifest from the inner energy turmoil.

Color Healing with Candles

If you think you like candles, you haven't met my mom. She lights five candles in the kitchen at the same time, to the point where you can't distinguish one smell from another. Growing up with that, I've developed a fondness for candles. But, unlike my mom, I only light one at a time so that I can really bask in the scent that I've chosen. Sometimes, though, I don't choose by scent, but by color.

One of my favorite metaphysical books is How to Heal With Color by Ted Andrews. In it, he explains how to use candles as a method of healing. The color of the candle, he purports, is released into the air as the wick burns. Before using the candle, he suggests "dressing" by rubbing olive oil on it in one direction, but if you don't want to do that, you can merely send a wave of positive energy in the direction of the candle, affirming that you will be using it for a healing purpose.

Here's a brief list from his book of ailments and which colors you should use to relieve them. If you aren't a fan of candles, you can also practice directing colorful energy through your hands onto the problem area:

Abdominal cramps: Yellow
Aches (ear): Turquoise
Aches (head): Blue / Green
Aches (muscle): Light Orange
Arthritis: Violet or Blue Violet
Blisters: Ice Blue
Fevers: Blue
Indigestion: Yellow
Nausea: Ice Blue
Rash: Yellow and Turquoise
Swelling: Ice Blue
Ulcers: Green

I wish I had remembered this list two weeks ago, when I was suffering from a case of Shingles! I love color healing, but I have to confess that I do often forget to practice it. I'll start trying to do it more regularly and let you know if I have any results.

For now, though, since I don't have any candles that aren't brown or black, I'll just be satisfied with my Maple Pancakes-scented candle.

Christmas!

For me, the end of the year is a time of self-evaluation, a time when I reconsider everything in my life and hold on to the things that are worth it and get rid of the things that aren't. I love spending time with my family at Christmas, and this year it was extra special and great because Todd got to share in the celebrations with us.

(And I didn't get broken up with, like last Christmas. Not that I thought it would happen, but it's always a bonus either way!)

Now that I've got a ton of new things -- I'll have some pictures later -- it's time for stage two: cleaning. I plan to go through pretty much every single thing I own and decide to either get rid of it or find its proper place in my room. 

But it's not just my room that I have to clean. I think it's important to sort through feelings and character traits, too, and decide which are worth keeping (happiness, love, open-mindedness) and which can be tossed aside (doubt, fear, worry). With the new year quickly approaching, it's important to decide just who we want to be and how we want to live. The most important part of any endeavor, relationship or life circumstance is how we let it change us and how we learn and grow from it.

 I want to start 2011 at my maximum potential, with all of my energy correctly aligned. And from there, who knows where I can go.

"I don't need what I cannot carry on me or inside. And I don't want it. I don't want what I cannot carry with me or beside." - TreeUnion, Kiss the Moon.